Sonus Faber Aida vs. Wilson XLF (with the MBL 101 Extreme thrown-in for fun)

[MrAcoustat]

Do you have any 'notes' about specifically how the Alexandria compared with these other 2 speakers? Thanks...I know the X2 quite well but not the other 2, so very curious. Thanks!

For MY tastes, always found them to boomy i heard them sound ok only once in all the times i heard them and for that kind of money they should sound much more than just ok when i heard the Raidho D-1 i knew right away that i was listening to something REALY special.28k is lot's of money BUT you are getting exceptional speakers.

 

[LL21]

For MY tastes, always found them to boomy i heard them sound ok only once in all the times i heard them and for that kind of money they should sound much more than just ok when i heard the Raidho D-1 i knew right away that i was listening to something REALY special.28k is lot's of money BUT you are getting exceptional speakers.

Thanks. Will try to take a second listen to the Raidhos. did hear them once while auditioning other equipment in another room. Stopped by to listen in.

 

[microstrip]

The Sonus Faber Aida tweeters hurt my ears, (...)

This just says how wide are our preferences - some people just say that are rolled-off and warm. I find their treble delicate and airy - one of the few tweeters that I can accept, as I was used to the delicateness of the electrostatic treble of ESL63 and SoundLabs for long.

 

[MrAcoustat]

This just says how wide are our preferences - some people just say that are rolled-off and warm. I find their treble delicate and airy - one of the few tweeters that I can accept, as I was used to the delicateness of the electrostatic treble of ESL63 and SoundLabs for long.

+1 After spending time with stats i don't think that you could live with a speaker with harsh tweeters and to MY ears the sound of Sonus Faber Aida's is very smoothhhhhhhh.

 

[Steve williams]

This just says how wide are our preferences - some people just say that are rolled-off and warm. I find their treble delicate and airy - one of the few tweeters that I can accept, as I was used to the delicateness of the electrostatic treble of ESL63 and SoundLabs for long.

I agree

I thought the silk dome tweeter was superb however could the problem have been that the trim switch for the tweeter (I think there's one) was turned too high

 

[LL21]

This just says how wide are our preferences - some people just say that are rolled-off and warm. I find their treble delicate and airy - one of the few tweeters that I can accept, as I was used to the delicateness of the electrostatic treble of ESL63 and SoundLabs for long.

I agree

I thought the silk dome tweeter was superb however could the problem have been that the trim switch for the tweeter (I think there's one) was turned too high

I also agree, having owned the SF Guarneris and Strads, as well as having spent time with nearly all the SFs since the early 90's with the exception of the The Sonus Faber. Set up in most situations, the treble is sublime and detailed. Particularly to those who cherish electrostatics (like me). However, in the unusual setup, you can rip your ears off.

I remember when playing around with my Guarneri's...due to the low ceiling, I start taking off the grilles and playing with the tilt of the Guarneri's...by accident I found an angle/positioning that nearly sawed my ears off...the treble was so piercing, it literally hurt. Quite a shock. I put the speakers back into an earlier position very quickly, let me tell you!

 

[marty]

I'd weigh in by saying that the Aida's are on my very short list of dream speakers to own. I heard them three times- the first time as described at the beginning of this thread, and a second time at Sound Experience in FL with the Zanden monoblocs and the second at the ARC room at CES 2 years ago. Treble was simply gorgeous- not a strident note at all. In fact, the timbre from top to bottom was simply outstanding. Clearly one of the great speakers of our time. Yup, when someone is foolish enough to dump these at a great price on Audiogon because a new model comes out with a minor and insignificant change just for the sake of ever-greening the product, that's when I will break open the penny jar and swoop in for the kill.

 

[GaryProtein]

I agree

I thought the silk dome tweeter was superb however could the problem have been that the trim switch for the tweeter (I think there's one) was turned too high

That is a possibility.

 

[MrAcoustat]

I'd weigh in by saying that the Aida's are on my very short list of dream speakers to own. I heard them three times- the first time as described at the beginning of this thread, and a second time at Sound Experience in FL with the Zanden monoblocs and the second at the ARC room at CES 2 years ago. Treble was simply gorgeous- not a strident note at all. In fact, the timbre from top to bottom was simply outstanding. Clearly one of the great speakers of our time. Yup, when someone is foolish enough to dump these at a great price on Audiogon because a new model comes out with a minor and insignificant change just for the sake of ever-greening the product, that's when I will break open the penny jar and swoop in for the kill.

That is a very smart thing to do, if you can afford to change everytime there is a new model that's fine to and whe need people like that if whe want to buy good gear used, i have been in this hobby for over 40 years and i buy USED 95% of the time because i cannot afford to buy new, BUT if i could i would.

PS: I have done so a few times and nothing beats the smell of a NEW unit out of the box.

 

[microstrip]

That is a very smart thing to do, if you can afford to change everytime there is a new model that's fine to and whe need people like that if whe want to buy good gear used, i have been in this hobby for over 40 years and i buy USED 95% of the time because i cannot afford to buy new, BUT if i could i would.

PS: I have done so a few times and nothing beats the smell of a NEW unit out of the box.

A significant part of my equipment was bought used or demo - besides cost, one of the great aspects of used equipment is avoiding the burn-in phase. Although the smell of a new unit can be enjoyable, waiting some hundred hours to really enjoy your new unit is a nuisance.

 

[Elliot G.]

xlf

I agree

I thought the silk dome tweeter was superb however could the problem have been that the trim switch for the tweeter (I think there's one) was turned too high

I had the great pleasure to spend a few days last week at Transparent Audio in Saco Maine. This is just outside of Portland which is a great place to visit. It is a young hip vibrant city with great food and tons of LOBSTER.
At transparent they have not one but two pairs of XLF's in two identical listening rooms. One is at the factory and the other and the Sumner's home listening room. I was fortunate to hear these speakers in both locations with a variety of music. We used CD, High resolution downloads and Master recordings from the Portland Symphony.
First a disclaimer, I have never really been in love with Wilson speakers. It is not the speakers per se but rather I am fan of line source, planars, ribbons and stats. I like some of the large "box speakers" but was never really blown away with any of them over long term exposure. I liked the Focal Grand Utopia EM, some of the Magico's although never heard the big ones really blow me away. I have heard Maxx 3's sound really good a few times.
Ok so enough background!
The XLF's in Maine were just terrific. They did everything well and we did a lot of listening. I got to hear every cable in the line and besides being cool it was very informative not only about the cables but about the speakers as well.
They can play all kinds of music and all kinds of levels and in their room, particularly at Karen and Jacks home, really totally disappear.
I felt the "traditional" Wilson sound was no longer there for me. This is a good thing since I always felt they were not enjoyable over the long term and were kind of bloated and at time can be very fatiguing in the highs.
The XLF don't sound like that at all!!! They have incredible low frequency detail and speed and the highs are very extended and smooth. I also like that they seem to be a very easy load to drive so there was no sense of strain on any of the amplifiers.
I cant make any comments about the Aida or the MBL's other than I have not heard the Aida and I don't care for the MBL since I have have heard them a few times and they never sounded good. I do realize that the room and set up makes a huge, HUGE, HUGE difference on any of these big guys and it makes no sense to own them or show them if the room and gear are not up to par.
I have heard the Nola, Scaena, Genesis, Infinity all sound amazing and terrible as well. The room design and the person setting them up needs to know what they are doing and sadly this is not the case in most places. Having heard many large systems in clients and friends home the set up and follow through on most big systems is really poor, even when some manufacturers have been involved.
I want to congratulate Karen and Jack along with Josh and Brad ( and any others I am unaware of ) for two great systems . I know how hard this is do.

 

[Steve williams]

E....

Good to see that you have been swayed to the dark side. The XLF is truly an exceptional speaker

 

[microstrip]

E....

Good to see that you have been swayed to the dark side. The XLF is truly an exceptional speaker

Steve,

Yes, it is. But Wilson Audio sells it in Ferrari yellow to those who do not want to be swayed to the dark side.

 

[Steve williams]

IMO for Elliot to have made that statement about the XLF is a tribute to just how good a speaker it really is because truth be told he has been a Wilson basher as long as I have known him

 

[Elliot G.]

IMO for Elliot to have made that statement about the XLF is a tribute to just how good a speaker it really is because truth be told he has been a Wilson basher as long as I have known him

Steve,
I would not say that I am a "basher" as much as I like different things. I appreciated hearing something terrific and try to keep an open mind until I have the chance to actually hear it.
The systems at Transparent are exceptional, PERIOD. I know they work closely with Wilson and that is a good thing. I think that if more Vendors actually worked together that the end results would be much better and certainly more consistent for the end users. The amount of variables for the consumer is mind blowing and it is not a matter of opinion IMHO. I think you will admit that the XLF is a different animal than previous Wilson speakers. No?

 

[Elliot G.]

IMO for Elliot to have made that statement about the XLF is a tribute to just how good a speaker it really is because truth be told he has been a Wilson basher as long as I have known him

One last thought,

The real thing here is that without a great room, not a good room, speakers of this size just don't make it.
Show listening and most dealer showrooms are inadequate. This is sadly the truth.

All of these Huge speaker system require a perfect environment to really excel.
When I read the comments on this site and many others it becomes obvious to me that most listeners don't get the chance to hear systems like this. I believe that sis one reason there is so much diversity in responses. The smaller MBL would be much easier to use in most rooms than an XLF etc.
That however does not make it a better speaker. When you see pictures of most reviewers rooms they cant possible work either.
So when you go to a show and hear a huge speaker in a bad too small room, with bad electricity, bad acoustics and some borrowed gear being played way too loud, its probably not a good idea to take a hard opinion of the speaker away.
I wish there was a better way to do it but there doesn't seem to be one in today's environment.
The dealer mentioned here has a huge investment and I hope that the rooms he has are properly designed and treated to get the most out of that investment.

 

[microstrip]

(...) I think you will admit that the XLF is a different animal than previous Wilson speakers. No?

Surely. I have now listened to it several times - even participated in the setup of one pair. But in order to appreciate its refinement you must position it very accurately. A few inches away from the correct location and you will miss the incredible voice articulation and decay that this speakers are capable. Unless you are doing it in a systematic and knowledgeable way it is very easy to miss the good placement. Improperly positioned the XLF is just another good speaker, nothing else.

The absence of strain that you have spotted is also much more evident than in the X2. But we can be sure you have listened to optimal setups!

 

[Bruce B]

Surely. I have now listened to it several times - even participated in the setup of one pair. But in order to appreciate its refinement you must position it very accurately. A few inchnes away from the correct location and you will miss the incredible voice articulation and decay that this speakers are capable. Unless you are doing it in a systematic and knowledgeable way it is very easy to miss the good placement. Improperly positioned the XLF is just another good speaker, nothing else.

The absence of strain that you have spotted is also much more evident than in the X2. But we can be sure you have listened to optimal setups!

The new midrange and tweeter have a lot to do with the better Wilson sound.

 

[MrAcoustat]

IMO for Elliot to have made that statement about the XLF is a tribute to just how good a speaker it really is because truth be told he has been a Wilson basher as long as I have known him

I don't care who listends reviewer or not when it's good it's good but when it's bad it's bad, no matter what the make is, Elliot as heard them sound bad and this time he as heard them sound good, for that kind of $$$$$ they should ALWAYS sound good.

 

[Elliot G.]

I don't care who listends reviewer or not when it's good it's good but when it's bad it's bad, no matter what the make is, Elliot as heard them sound bad and this time he as heard them sound good, for that kind of $$$$$ they should ALWAYS sound good.

MrA
I'm sorry but your statement is wrong. Its not A Wilson thing its a system thing. If not in a great room with great gear and an even better set up nothing sounds always good. SORRY.
This is the issue with Audio IMO a total wanting the easy way out. Its not different with race cars or cooking etc etc.
Its ALL in the details.
It isn't about the money as much as it is about the physics of the room. Take a small Aerial 5t and a decent amp they will always sound great.
Understand the science and it will make it much easier to know why things sound bad.